Rock Island daily Argus., 1887-05-26
DEATH ENDS THE PLAY.
AN AWFUL DISASTER AT THE GAY
FRENCH CAPITAL.

| The Opera Cnmtque Destroyed oy ttre
and Sixty Persons Probably Lose Their
Lives, Most of Them Ballet Dancers
of the Audience Jump from tn. Win
dows TO Meet Death.
PARIS, May The widely known theatre,
the Opera Comique, took fire Wednesday
night while play was in progress and was
totally destroyed.
| The theatre was crowded. and the fire
spread with great rapdity, and many
persons sprang from the windows TO the
| ground to avoid being caught by the flames,
only to meet death by contact With the pave
ment Fourteen of the persons who threw
themselves from the windows were instantly
killed and forty six were picked up more or
less injured some Of them fatally and many
seriously.
| The fire originated in one Of the wings and
was caused by gas jet coming into contact
| with some of the scenery which was being
shifted into position for the second act of
| "Mignon," the first act being then in progress
| The flames burst forth like a fash of powder
| anu UUa Wnpp llIItfHH III tUtdtft WIS al
most Immediately abIaze Nine Mergolier
and NM Taalniu and Bernard were on the
stage at the time, and so closely were
they pursued by the flames that they were
compelled to run through the stage entrance
into the street in stage costume. as did also The
other members of the company, none Of
whom had time to take away an article Of
clothing other than what they wore.
| The audience were of COURSE PAM C
stricken, but through the heroic and syste
matte efforts Of the uShers and some of the
| cooler headed of the spectators, they were
kept moving toward the exits without tramp
| ling upon each other All of the occupants
of the main portion of the house were got
out without difficulty, hut the flames behind
the stage soon severed the gas connections
leaving the galleries and stairways in dark
ness before the upper portion Of the house
| was cleared and it is feared that a number Of
persons were left in 1le upper tiers and
perished The roof fell in within half an
hour after the fire started
Madame Seller one of the actresses, was in
her dressing room when the fire broke out
and being unable to make her escape was
burned to death All of the other members
Of the company and employees Of the th"atre
escaped with their hives, but several super
numeraries were injured one ~ two of them
very severely.
An artificial fire apparatus, which had been
placei in position In reftlnNSS for the burn
ing of the palace in the second act, rolled
down from its place near the roof and ex-
ploded below. There was not frantic rush
in the theatre, but it Is believed thai the stair
case became bluckaded NJ TaSqnn I'M
plored the audience TO remain quiet until
the exits were opeue1 which they did If
they had made rush for the doors The loss of
life would have been terrible The police
outside We're unable to restrain the crowd,
who beSieged tile bui,liug iuquiriHg for
friends inside, until :; military Gordon was
formed une man vino wanted to rescue his
brother and sister raved and tore hiS hair. and
menaced with stick ihe people who stopped
him from rushing into the blazing building
A figurante says there We're i5J persons on
the stage when the fire rruke out She heard
the glass falling like a halstorm, but told
the other girls uut to mind it. But while she
was speaking a coInmn OF fame burst through
the wings with a roar. and all rushed pell
nell from the stage
The streets in the vicmty of the burned
theatre were crowded uutil an early hour
Thursday morning Doctors attended many
| persons who had been bruised Mr. Sewell
solicitor of the British embassy, SaiGi that the
audience showed great ,,4lnness when the
alarm was given, When the gas was ex
tinguished he groped his way 10 the balcony
and saw people in the street laying straw mat
tresses to receive persons Jumping from The
windows He was ultimately rescued by
| firemen
The dead bodies # five persons We're taken
out of the front pa,t If the theatre The,
were horribly burned. and 1t is doubtful that
they can he recngnizad- Two nt them wert
those Of woman and httIe hoy. the woman
claSping the child tightly in her arms
Nineteen persons are known to he dead, but
it is still unknown exactly how many NOR,
may have periShed The HaVas news agency
of Paris places the nan!4er of Killed and in
jured at sixty. Many policemen were in
! jured. The killed inctuaed four firenen anC
many supers
LATEST-A report. resting on very good
; authority, that there AT least sixty dead
mostly employees OF the theatre ami member,
of the corps lie ballet. lying at the various
pharmacies and police stations in the neigh
? borhood 1t is impossible to say how man,
} of the audience are lost